A Modern Workforce Strategy

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at andy.jordan@roffensian.com. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

Firmly in the middle of what is commonly known as Generation X, I have aged into “the establishment” that I rebelled against in my youth. Such is the fate of every generation. However, recently there seems to be a change. Has any generation had more written about it than the millennials, who are either the one hope for our future or evidence of the downfall of mankind? I doubt either is true, but it is fair to say that the millennial generation is a disruptor in the workplace. So how does that disruption impact enterprise strategy?

Just like every generation before them the millennial generation wants to find a way to work that makes sense to them based on their background and upbringing. The big difference this time around is that this is the first group that grew up with advanced technology available for their entire lives — they don’t remember a world without computer chip-driven everything!

When this generation comes into a work environment that is built around concepts that date back to a time before such technology, the potential for friction is obvious. But it’s not about ‘the old way’ or ‘the new way’ — it’s about adapting to ‘the modern way’ for organizations and the employees that make up those organizations. Here’s a simple example. The traditional office and cubicle space